For Sunday the 3rd of August - 9:00am

Last Sunday at Bethlehem Lutheran Church we celebrated the baptism of Daniel Victor Ambrose Pearce. Daniel is the fourth child of Pastor Fraser and his wife Margaret. Keeping with an old Lutheran tradition Daniel’s name wasn’t revealed until the ceremony.  The only people who knew his name beforehand were his parents, the pastor who baptized Daniel, and the people at Country Cakes who made the cake for the celebration!

After the baptism the celebrations continued with a community lunch in the church hall. Although it was a cold day, the many friends, the roasts, the wine, and the thanks to God for the gift of life gave the afternoon warmth and joy.

This Sunday we will be meeting at 9:00am for a service with Holy Communion. We will be hearing from the bible about the love God calls his people to show for all, including for those who reject God and mock his compassion and holiness. Our Sunday school will be meeting at about 9:45am.

For Sunday the 27th of July - 10:00am

The last words Jesus spoke to his specially chosen followers were: ‘Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.’

 

Since the very beginning of the church, people have come into fellowship with God and each other through receiving the gift of baptism, and through listening attentively to Jesus’ teaching.

 

This Sunday we will be celebrating another baptism, and we will see again how God continues to show his love in this world. We will experience how God continues to bring people together to live in a community where the forgiveness, love, and the holiness of God can be shared.

 

This Sunday we will be meeting at 10:00am for a service with Holy Communion. Afterward we will be celebrating with a community lunch.

 

God’s peace to you,

 

Fraser Pearce, Pastor

For Sunday the 20th of June - 9:00 am

Suffering is an unavoidable part of life – but when we are going through suffering it can seem utterly meaningless, and it can fill us with despair. When we despair we can start to behave in ways that destroy our own lives and the relationships with the people that we love.

 

This Sunday we will be hearing a reading from the Bible that deals with the topic of suffering. We will hear that the Bible contrasts suffering not with pleasure or health, but with the glory that God will reveal in us. As we think though this surprising comparison, we will consider how God gives us the gift of hope, and so saves us from the destruction that can come from despair.

 

This Sunday we will be meeting at 9:00 am for a service with Holy Communion. The Sunday school will meet at 9:45 am.

 

God’s peace to you,

 

Fraser Pearce, Pastor

Baby Pearce

Please join me in giving thanks to God for the safe arrival of a baby boy at 11:09 last Sunday evening (06/07/08).

Fraser

For pictures go to http://epistolaeobscurorumvirorum.blogspot.com/

For Sunday the 13th of July - 10:00 am

A simple fact of life is that it is not possible to have a good relationship with somebody that we don’t trust. No matter how much pleasure we may otherwise find their company, without the foundation of trust, real and lasting friendship cannot grow.

 

This Sunday we will be hearing from the Bible about our relationship with God. As we think through the reading we will consider how God wins our trust. We will especially focus on Jesus’ self-sacrificial love, and how this frees us to be people who have a good relationship with God.

 

This Sunday we will be meeting at 10:00am for a service with Holy Communion.

 

God’s peace to you,

 

Fraser Pearce, Pastor

For Sunday the 6th of June - 9:00 am

It’s a very common experience for people to have good intentions, but not to follow through on them. More than this: most people experience times in their lives when they are seemingly powerless to resist doing things that they know are wrong and harmful. What’s going on?

 

This Sunday we will be hearing a reading from the Bible that talks about the inner conflict that human beings experience: a conflict of willing the good but doing the evil. As we think through what this means in our lives today, we will consider how God is leading us in humility to admit that we are powerless to save ourselves. This will prepare us to receive the mercy and love of the one who can save us: Jesus Christ, whose gracious presence we will receive in Holy Communion.

 

This Sunday we will meet at 9:00am for a service with Holy Communion. The Sunday school is in recess over the holidays.

 

God’s peace to you,

 

Fraser Pearce, Pastor